Lovebox is perhaps London’s supreme summer festival, the perfect excuse to party away your worries in one of the city’s most beautiful parks.
Clash is pleased to be partnering the festival this weekend, co-hosting an arena with SoundCrash. A promotions team close to our heart, SoundCrash are responsible for a whole series of truly adventurous parties, spanning the gaps between left field electronics, hip-hop and plenty more besides.
Taking place on Saturday (July 18th) we’ve managed to piece together a stunning line up which reflects some of the best artists in this country and beyond.
– – –
Squarepusher
Squarepusher is a name that needs no introduction. Born plain Tom Jenkinson, the musician is one of Warp’s central artist, a producer who scorns boundaries and stamps out his own identity. Equally adept on bass and production, his live show is a blizzard of musical and visual invention, an engrossing spectacle like no other around.
Flume
Clash first interviewed Australian producer Flume when he was barely known in this country. Since then, the electronic guru has enjoyed a sensational rise, as astonishing as it has been slow-burning. Buoyed by an expert songwriting nous, the physicality of Flume's music allows for something which approaches house euphoria while stubbornly occupying its own territory. Continually expanding his live show, the Australian talent is working on something very special indeed for this year's Lovebox.
Nils Frahm
Nils Frahm focuses on pure sound. Modern electronics with a classical flair, the Berlin-based composer can veer from cinematic, ambient soundscapes towards imposing techno kinetics. Currently preparing a mix for Late Night Tales, the ever-industrious producer has all manner of tricks up his sleeve. Paying fastidious attention to his live set up, the Lovebox crowd should prepare to meet the unexpected.
Special Request
Special Request is Paul Woolford's loving homage to the blistering white heat of the rave era. Perhaps best known as one of Britain's foremost voices in house music, the producer returns to his roots for a breakbeat mashing, synth smashing rave up under his Special Request alias. Expect classic cuts re-worked, new tracks unfurled and a DJ who knows every inch of this music. Much more than nostalgia, Special Request taps into the arteries of hardcore and gets that pulse moving again.
Maribou State
Maribou State hail from the quintessentially English county of Hertfordshire, yet have a sound which is curiously universal. Probing electronics with a rich sense of sound, the vivid colours of their post-house tapestries are matched to a fluid, jazz-like sense of rhythm. Loose-limbed and dexterous, Maribou State will attack your mind and move your body.
Howling
Howling is a collaboration between Âme's Frank Wiedemann and The Acid's Ry X . Initially kicked off as an ad hoc studio project between two friends, the accidentally viral success of their debut cut forced the pair to look again. Fusing their disparate backgrounds (one a dance producer, the other an acoustic songsmith) into a unique whole, Howling is the puzzling, curious crossover. A rare chance to catch the pair in action, Howling's set should be unmissable.
Dornik
Dornik is, simply, one of the most exciting voices in what is so often termed 'future R&B'. Taking his cues wherever he can find them – Michael Jackson's classic pop, electronic production, even Swedish metal – his unique musical vision is as broad as it is devastating. A smooth live performer who stunned the crowds at Wild Life festival in Brighton, Dornik is coming home for what will no doubt be a set to remember at this year's Lovebox.
– – –
Lovebox runs between July 17th – 18th.
